1.5 out of 5 stars
Home invasion has become a term that has become all too familiar in the news and entertainment. Adam Salky’s latest Netflix film touches on the psychological impact of this crime on people’s lives. Set in a small town on the edge of the New Mexico desert, the Parsons are confronted with the effects of a brutal intrusion within their new home.
This young couple had built their state-of-the-art house in this remote part of the United States after moving from the busyness of Boston. They had a challenging time with Meera’s (Freida Pinto) health scare, but they were looking forward to a fresh start. Not too long after moving to the beautiful home designed by Henry (Logan Marshall-Green), a group of men break-in. The criminals seem to be looking for something specific, but as Henry confronts the intruders, Meera is able to escape. As she runs for help, she witnesses her husband shooting the men.
As the local police investigate the incident, they realise that the men were from one family with criminal convictions. Everything points to the situation being a crime of opportunity. Until Meera realises that things may not be as straightforward as they seem and as she does her own investigation, there are more personal elements of the crime. While she and Henry try to connect with the local community, their relationship is tested as details about the disappearance of a local university girl begin to unfold.
Even though the definition of home invasion is relatively new, the concept has been a reality of cinema for years. From Cape Fear to Panic Room, examples of suspense thrillers have shown how to incorporate this crime effectively in their screenplay. While Intrusion contains many elements that mimic past illustrations, it does not add to this cinematic sub-genre. Between pedestrian-level writing and the predictable nature of the story arch, outside of a few jump scares, there are few surprises to offer audiences.
That is not to say that Freida Pinto, Logan Marshall-Green and Robert John Burke did not do their best to lift this production out of the less-than-suspenseful doldrums. Pinto plays the distracted and innocent spouse who proves to hide an underlying investigative mind. While Marshall-Green manages to dig in deep to his ability to portray the sociopathic character who can convincingly show his love for his wife. Then to add the stoic force of Burke’s nature as Detective Stevhen Morse makes some promising moments. Yet, these performances cannot cover the weaknesses of the writing and production quality. It will be entertaining for those looking for the non-thinking person’s suspense where everything is foreseeable and wraps up nicely in the end.
REEL DIALOGUE: Can we trust anyone or anything?
Trust. It is a word that is essential for human relations to flourish. The challenge is to know who to trust. Throughout Intrusion the question comes back to learning who to trust in our personal relationships and when things are at their worst.
This is an issue that impacts fictional tales and real life, too. It is not hard to realise that most people will fail to find the answers in this area at some point. Yet, what is known of the God of the Bible is that he is the only one that is truly trustworthy. If you are looking for someone to trust, how about picking up the Bible and finding the only genuinely reliable being in existence.
‘When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise, in God I trust; I shall not be afraid. What can flesh do to me?’ Psalm 56:3-4
